Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup were 18 when they were attacked with acid in August
2013 and left with horrific burns

Two young British women who were left with horrific burns after an acid attack during a volunteering trip in Zanzibar have said they do not believe the culprits responsible will ever be found despite reports Boko Haram-linked extremists were charged.

The motive for the attack is not known, although the girls’ Jewish faith was feared to be a reason. But at the time, Ms Trup’s father, Marc, a dentist and former director of Bupa Dental Services, said the girls had dressed modestly and were not wearing symbols of their Jewish religion.

Ms Gee was left with 30 per cent burns on her body and lost her ear. Surgeons used skin grafts to repair her damaged face. Ms Trup, had to have skin grafts on her face, arm and shoulder.

The best friends, now both 20, said the incident in the semi-autonomous archipelago in August 2013 changed their lives "massively". However, despite recent reports suggesting two men were charged, they believe the real culprits will never be found.

"Justice has never been served. We have lost all faith that the attackers will ever be found," said Ms Trup, from Hampstead, north London, on Wednesday. "But I never want them [police in Zanzibar] to stop looking. I would hate to think those people could do it again."

Abdulrahman Kinana, a prominent ruling politician in Zanzibar, claimed last week in a blog post for US political website, The Hill, that two men from the Islamist terror group Uamsho, or “Awakening” which is linked to the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram, were arrested and charged after assistance from British police.

General view of the narrow street in Stone Town, Zanzibar, where it is believed the attack took place Photo: Barcroft

"Assisted by investigators from the British police at New Scotland Yard and Interpol, the Tanzanian authorities later arrested crime members of Uamsho [which] has a history of targeting foreigners," he said.

The group wants Zanzibar to become independent of mainland Tanzania and impose stricter Muslim rules. It had previously been accused of involvement in the attack.

The Foreign Office has not confirmed the reports.

Ms Trup, a history student in her third and final year at Bristol University, criticised the Tanzanian authorities and dismissed Mr Kinana's comments.

"The Foreign Office has been helpful but the Tanzanian authorities are very incompetent. After the identity parade [which she attended six months after the attack], I knew it was the end game" in the search for justice.

She added: "I don't believe the reports of charges are accurate. It was just a political stunt."

The best friends made the remarks in front of an audience at the London launch of a report entitled: “Acid Violence and its Global Impact” compiled by charity Acid Survivors Trust International, working together with Thomson Reuters Foundation and law firm Linklaters.